Planning commission approves Virtue Road reconstruction, including boardwalk and greenway crossings

Farragut Municipal Planning Commission on Aug. 21 approved design plans to reconstruct Virtue Road and a portion of Boyd Station Road, add a greenway and a roughly 1,300-foot timber boardwalk along Turkey Creek, and install safety improvements including a three-way stop at Turkey Creek and push-button flashing lights for a mid-block crossing.

Town staff and consultant Jason Elliott of LDA Engineering told commissioners the project flattens an existing sharp curve at the southern end of previous improvements and addresses vertical humps that limit sight distance. “That current geometry, the way it is today is good for about 10 miles an hour going through there. It gives no sight distance,” Elliott said during the presentation.

The commission’s action follows a detailed staff presentation and engineering review. Measures described include widening lanes from about 10 feet to 11 feet, adding curb and gutter, improving horizontal and vertical geometry at multiple locations, cutting down high points (Elliott said one high point was reduced by about 18 inches in a later submittal), and trimming or removing vegetation that impedes visibility. For pedestrian and bicycle users, the plan adds an asphalt greenway on the west side of Virtue, a mid-block crossing with advanced signing, pavement markings and push-button activated flashing yellow lights that will activate for both directions, and connections to an existing developer-built greenway in The Grove at Boyd Station subdivision.

A prominent element is a timber boardwalk on the east side of Virtue, where filling would have impacted the creek buffer. Elliott described the boardwalk as timber construction with stainless-steel tension-cable railings and posts spaced roughly 8 to 25 feet apart. He said the boardwalk minimizes environmental impacts along the creek but is more expensive than a fill section.

Commissioners asked whether the boardwalk railing and cable spacing meet child-safety expectations (Elliott said cable spacing would be a maximum of about 4 inches and the railing height would be approximately 42 inches to accommodate bicycle use). Commissioners and staff also discussed phasing during construction; town staff said the intersection improvements and signing for the new three-way stop would be installed during phased construction and that traffic control plans would keep traffic flowing in one direction when necessary.

Jason Elliott and town staff said the crossing at Turkey Creek will be closed during some construction operations but that the project is planned in three phases to maintain traffic where possible. Elliott told the commission that project elements such as cutting down the high point near residents’ driveways have already been addressed in later plan submittals to improve sight distance.

The commission voted 7-0 to approve the plans as presented. Staff noted coordination remains required with the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) for final plan acceptance and with the town’s engineering department for right-of-way and construction permitting.

The project will also include a new multiuse trail tie-in, curb and gutter, stormwater and erosion control measures and a roundabout at Needle Grama Lane in an earlier phase of the corridor improvement program. Town staff said the boardwalk option was selected to avoid impacts to the creek’s vegetated buffer and to deliver a better user experience despite higher cost.

The town and consultant said additional design details and final construction phases, phasing schedules and traffic control will be communicated before construction begins.